Iceland Volcano: Defiant airline flies through Grimsvotn ash cloud

While the recent Icelandic volcano eruption is grounding flights across Europe, one bold airline that flew a plane t through the ash cloud is calling for lighter restrictions.

Ryanair said that restrictions on airlines should be lifted after it successfully performed a verification flight though the thickest part of the volcanic ash cloud.

The flight 1 hour flight ascended to up to 41,000ft in Scottish airspace this morning.

''There was no visible volcanic ash cloud or any other presence of volcanic ash and the post-flight inspection revealed no evidence of volcanic ash on the airframe, wings or engines, the airline said.

Rynair is strongly objected to the disruption under orders from the Irish Aviation Authority .

''The absence of any volcanic ash in the atmosphere supports Ryanair's stated view that there is no safety threat to aircraft in this mythical 'red zone', which is another misguided invention by the UK Met Office and the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority).

''Ryanair has also received written confirmation from both its airframe and engine manufacturers that it is safe to operate in these so-called 'red zones' and, in any event, Ryanair's verification flight this morning also confirms that the 'red zone' over Scotland is non-existent.''

Iceland's airports were closed Sunday and transatlantic flights were being diverted around that country's airspace after a major volcanic eruption.

The Grimsvotn volcano eruption is reminiscent of another eruption, of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland last year, which shut down European flights and left passengers stranded across the world.

But Ryanair insisted there was no basis for the flight cancellations.

Ryanair believe that there is no safety risk to aircraft on fights operating to and from Scotland and, together with other airlines, will be complaining to the Transport Minister and regulatory authorities about these latest and unnecessary cancellations, a company spokesman said.

Both Ryanair and Aer Lingus have advised intending passengers to contact their airline or check the company